Mounting for machine guns carried by aircraft



Feb. 20, '1934.

C. A. LARSSON ET AL IOUNTIKG FOR MACHINE GUNS CARRIED BY AIRCRAFT Filed Aug. 18-, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 I I l Feb. 20, 1934. Q sso r AL 1,947,528

MOUNTING FOR MACHINE GUNS CARRIED BY AIRCRAFT Filed Aug. 18, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 20, 1934. c LARSSON r AL 1,947,528

MOUNTING FOR MACHINE GUNS CARRIED BY AIRCRAFT Fil ed Aug. 18, 1931 4 Sheets-Sheet s Feb. 20, 1934.

C. A. LARSSON ET AL MOUNTING FOR MACHINE GUNS CARRIED BY AIRCRAFT Filed Au 18, 1931 4 Shea cs-Sheet 4 Patented Feb. 20, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOUNTING FOR momma GUNS canamn BY AIRCRAFT Carl Alfred Larsson and Percy Reuben Higson, Westminster, England, assignors to Vickers- Armstrong's Limited, Westminster, England, a

British company Application August 18, 1931, Serial No. 557,812, and in Great Britain September 15, 1930 14 Claims.

a training member at a point some distance removed from the training axis so that it can be adjusted into different angular positions.

According to the present invention the post has pivoted thereto a stay member the lower end of which is connected to a member slidably carried by the training member to which it can be connected by a suitable device in different positions corresponding to the difierent angular positions it is required to give to the post. The said construction provides a triangular structure which, whilst being deformable at will to vary the angular position of the post, gives the necessary rigid support for the gun. The training movement of the training member may be effected by a cranked handle through chain and sprocket gearing and bevel wheels, one of the sprockets being mounted co-axially with respect to the pivot connecting the post to the training member so that the gearing is not affected by the angular adjustments of the post.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings where- Figures 1, 2, and 3, are a side elevatiomplan, and front elevation respectively, of a gun mounting made in accordance with the invention in position in the gunners cockpit of an aeroplane, the surrounding portion of the aeroplane fuselage being indicated in dot and dash lines and the gunner and machine gun being also similarly indicated in Figure 1;

Figures 4, 5, and 6, are enlarged views of portions of Figures 1, 2, and 3, respectively; and

Figures 7, 8, and 9, are a side elevation, a plan, and a front elevation, respectively, of the top of the post, these figures showing various adjustments of the machine gun in dot and dash lines.

The post A (which is preferably made tele- 50 scopic) carries the machine gun B at its upper end and its lower end is pivoted at d to a bifurcated extension d on the forward end of a bar D forming part of the training member. This bar is mounted in a bracket D connected to 55 the upper end of a hollow vertical pivot E.

attached thereto.

Pivoted at F to the post A is the stay member which comprises two arms F the upper ends of which are connected to the pivot F and the lower ends of which are pivoted at to opposite sides of a slide F which is mounted for horizontal sliding movement in guideways F with which the bracket D is provided. The slide F can be fixed in its adjusted position by means of a spring bolt F which can be engaged in any one of a series of apertures or depressions F in the upper surface of the bracket D When the post A is adjusted about the pivot d the slide F will be moved backwards or forwards and the arms and post maintained in their adjusted positions by the bolt F The bar D extends through the bracket D and carries at its rear end a vertically adjustable seat D for the gunner.

For training the training member composed of the bar D and the bracket D a fixed tube E surrounding the pivot E is provided at its upper end with a bevel wheel G which gears with a similar wheel G that is mounted in bearings carried by the bracket D Secured to the wheel G is a sprocket G that is connected by a chain G to a sprocket G which is pivoted on the bar D coaxially with respect to the pivot d and in turn is connected by a chain G to a sprocket G mounted on a spindle G carried by the post A which spindle also carries a hand wheel G having a cranked handle (3? whereby the spindle and sprockets can be rotated thereby rotating the bevel wheel G on the fixed bevel wheel G thereby training the bar D, the bracket D and the parts carried thereby. The gunner of course will rotate with the bar D and the bracket D which can be locked in the adjusted position by a bolt H which is carried by a part attached to the pivot E and is pressed upwardly by a spring H so as to enter any one of a series of holes H in the floor of the cockpit or in a metal plate For withdrawing the bolt from the hole when the training member is to be trained, a lever H is provided one end of which is connected to the bolt H and the other end of which is connected by a steel cable H and rod H" to a pedal H which is located in a position convenient for operation by the heel of the gunner. The cable H passes through the hollow pivot E and over suitable pulleys H The rod H passes through a guideway H and is surrounded by a spring I-l that acts between a plate P and a collar h on the rod H and assists the spring H in returning the locking bolt H and parts connected to it to their normal positions. The pedal H is pivoted at h to the lower enlarged end of one of apair of uprights M which any foot rests M at their lower ends and one of which also carries the guideway H. The uprights M are bolted to the aforesaid bar D at their upper ends by a clamp W and their lower ends are connected by the plate P for rigidity and spacing purposes, which plate moves with the said bar in training and is rotatable with respect to the fixed tube E, The aforesaid bar D is made movable axially on the bracket D for adJusting the chain G and suitable means are provided for locking the said bar in its adjusted position.

The upper end of the post A has a socket to receive a pin J on the lower end of a member J to which is pivoted at J the downwardly projecting iurcations J of a bracket which has upwardly extending furcations J to which the machine gun is pivoted at J. can be elevated or depressed about the pivot J as indicated in dot and dash lines in Figure 7. The machine gun can also be trained into different positions as indicated in Figure 8 by means of the socket and pin J and can be tilted from side to side about the pivot J as indicated in Figure 9.

The lower end of the pivot E below the floor of the cockpit is provided with a crank K to which a rod K is pivotally connected at K. The rod is under the influence of a spring K and is guided in a cylinder K This arrangement serves to counterbalance the wind pressure on the gun when it tends to move the gun and mounting about the pivot E.

By reason of this improved construction of the gun mounting it is possible to reduce the width of the cockpit and the fuselage and thereby decrease wind resistance. The said construction also gives more accommodation for the gunner when the gun is being fired at high angles of elevation and also when it is being siderable angles of depression.

What we claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:-

1. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a point some distance from the training axis of said member, training mechanism including chain and sprocket gearing, one of the sprockets being mounted co-axially with respect to the pivot connecting the post to the training member, and a hand operated device for driving said gearing.

2. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a post carrying the gun at its upper end, a training member carrying said post, a hollow training pivot connected to said training member, a spring controlled locking bolt carried by a part rotating with said hollow training pivot, said bolt engaging in any one of a series of holes in a fixed part so as to lock said training member in its adjusted position of training, an operating lever rotating with said training member, and a cable which passes through said hollow training pivot and which serves to transmit movement from said lever to said bolt for withdrawing said bolt from its hole when required.

3. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a post carrying the gun at its upper end, a training member carrying said post, a training pivot connected to the training The machine gun fired at conmember, a crank on the lower end of said training pivot, and a spring controlled wind balancing device operated by said crank, a spring controlled locking bolt carried by said training member for engaging any one of a series of holes in a fixed part so as to lock said member in its adjusted position of training, and means for withdrawing said' bolt from its hole when required. g

4. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination with the elements claimed in claim 2, of a crank on the lower end of the hollow training pivot, and a spring controlled wind balancing device operated by said crank.

5. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft the combination of a training member, a gunners support carried, by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member on an axis fixed with respect to the training member and which axis is located some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member disposed behind the post and pivoted at its 'upper end to said post, a slidable member carried by said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, and means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in different positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post.-

6. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft,'the combination of a training member, a gunners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun the rear end of which gun is restricted in movement only by the'connection of the gun to the upper end of the post so that said rear end is free to be moved by hand, a pivotal connection between the lower end of the post and said training member at an axis fixed with respect to the training member and located some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member dispom 12C behind the post and pivoted at its upper end to said post, a slidable member carried by said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, and means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in diflerent positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given tothe post.

7. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, a gun- 13 ners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun the rear end of which is restricted in movement only by the connection of the gun to the upper end of .the post so that said rear end is free to be moved by hand, a pivotal connection between the lower end of the post and said training sponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post.

8. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, a gun ners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a point some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member disposed behind the post and pivoted at its upper end to said post, a slidable member 'carried by said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in different positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post, a training mechanism including chain and sprocket gearing, one of the sprockets being mounted coaxially with respect to the pivot connecting the post to the training member, and a hand operated' device for driving said gearing.

9. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, a gunners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a point some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member disposed behind the post and pivoted at its upper end to said post, a slidable member carried by said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in different positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post, means for connecting the gun to said post so that the gun can be elevated and depressed about a transverse horizontal axis, trained about a substantially vertical axis and tilted from side to side about a longitudinal axis at right angles to said substantially vertical axis.

, 10. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, a gun- 'ners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a pont some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member disposed behind the post and pivoted at its upper end to said post, a slidable member carried by said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in different positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post, a hollow training pivot connected to said training member, a spring controlled locking bolt carried by a part rotating with said hollow training pivot, said bolt engaging in any one of a series of holes in a fixed part so as to lock said training member in its adjusted position of training, an operating lever rotating with said training member, and a cable which passes through said hollow training pivot and which serves to transmit movement from said lever to said bolt for withdrawing said bolt from its hoie when required.

11. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination of a training member, agunners support carried by said training member behind the training axis of the latter, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a point some distance in front of the training axis of said member, a stay member disposed behind the post and pivoted at its upper end to said post, a slidable member carriedby said training member, means for pivotally connecting the lower end of said stay member to said slidable member, means for connecting said slidable member to said training member in different positions corresponding to the different angular positions to be given to the post, a training pivot connected to the training member, a crank on the lower end of said training pivot, and a spring controlled wind balancing device operated by said crank.

12. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination or" a training member, a post the upper end of which carries the gun and the lower end is pivotally connected to said training member at a point some distance from the training axis of said membentraining mechanism including chain and sprocket gearing, one of the sprockets being mounted co-axially with respect to the pivot connecting the post to the training member, a hand operated device for driving said gearing, a training pivot connected to the training member, a crank on the lower end of said training pivot, and a spring controlled wind balancing device operated by said crank.

13. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft, the combination with the elements claimed in claim '7 of a training mechanism including chain and sprocket gearing, one of the sprockets being mounted co-axially with respect to the pivot connecting the post to the training member, and a hand operated device for driving said gearing.

14. In a machine gun mounting for aircraft the combination with the elements claimed in claim 7 of means for connecting the gun to said post so that the gun can be elevated and depressed about a transverse horizontal axis, trained about a substantially vertical axis and tilted from side to side about a longitudinal axis at right angles to said substantially vertical axis.

CARL ALFRED LARSSON. PERCY REUBEN I-IIGSON. 

